Logitech Z-560 Speaker System

so why buy an expensive speaker system for your computer? i mean, don’t those 2.0 or 2.1 speakers that you have always had work fine? you may think so but chances are they don’t work all that well, at least relative to a nicer set, like those by altec lansing, klipsch, or logitech. if you’re anything like me you have a great computer in your room but no stereo and the only radio in the house is your alarm clock. that is why i laid down the $139.00 (usd) for my logitech z-560 4.1 speaker system. i don’t listen to music anywhere in my house but off my computer and wanted to enjoy the full range of sound that i would get from a nice stereo system, including the benefits of 400 watts of power, a 2-year warranty, and thx certification.

after much research on my next speaker system i decided to purchase the logitech z-560s. i had heard great things about the logitech series, especially the z-680s (the 5.1 version of the z-560s) and their fine sound and affordability. i knew that the benchmark speaker in the category were the klipsch promedia 4.1 but opted instead to try out the underdog and in the process save over $100. anyway, the speakers arrived very quickly after being ordered and were delivered in a large cardboard box, along with a puzzled look from the delivery man. after opening the box and inspecting the packaging i must say that logitech did a fantastic job of boxing up the items. each component came individually wrapped and protected and arrived in perfect condition, even the 25-plus pound subwoofer- no scratches or anything. the system came with all needed parts, wiring, and instructions.

installation

i installed the speaker system on xyz’s test rig a pentium 4 2.6c, with abit ic7-g motherboard, 512 mb corsair xms twinx 3700, with an soundblaster audigy 2 soundcard. all told the installation was a breeze. after placing the speakers in the right spots on the desk i ran the wiring and plugged it in. this meant wiring the speakers into the back of the subwoofer (where the main controls are) and wiring the back of the subwoofer to my soundcard.

that’s all that there was to do. before powering up i made sure to check the connections and play around with my creative sound manager program. this application came with the audigy ii and i must say that i really enjoy it. creative has made a program that is easy to use and offers the ultimate in fine tuning of a speaker system- it is perfectly matched with and can bring out the best in the z-560s. within minutes the speakers were up and running.

use

after fine tuning the settings a bit, i was blown away by the power of the component system. the speakers can be quite loud but maintain excellent sound quality up to almost the highest levels. the real all star of the group is the subwoofer. this huge (11″ h x 11″ w x 14″ l) black box has a giant 2″ port on the side and large aluminum finned cooler on the back. it is classy looking but you will quickly forget about that because of its tremendous bass. the woofer moves around lots of air and can really shake the room- i was very impressed. it carries even the deepest of sounds with great quality and i would say is the strongest subwoofer in the category.

i proceeded to test the system with an entire host of music, from rap to classical and the system handily dealt with anything i could throw at it.

(all songs are copyright to their respective owners. and, yes xyz or one of its employees has legally purchased each of these works.)

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from these songs we learned a great deal about these system. first of all they are bassy- the subwoofer has a tendency to overpower the rest of the system. secondly, the system has no real weakness but the midrange does seem to have some trouble competing with the rest of the setup. during the testing we measured how loud the sound was at the maximum sound level it came out to be an ear-drum-popping 108 db. the system played music very well but we could tell that the system was built to excel at more violent (as opposed to smooth and melodic) types of audio, like that encountered in gaming.

the final test was conducted by playing a number of computer games, all building up to max payne 2. if you have never played it, this a game that utilizes some of the most advanced sound effects out there. the mp2 is full of deep, room-shaking explosions, staccato gunfire, and other such things that can really push a sound system. once again the z-560s did fantastically. at this point i was approached by another member of my household and told to lower the bass a bit- it was prohibiting them from reading downstairs.

we all really fell in love with the quality of the sound during gaming and true “3d” effects- when a door shut behind max payne you could hear the door shut in the rear speakers. effects like this highly elevated our level of game play and, hey, that’s what its all about.

during the normal usage of the speakers one thing that i found to be a bit of an issue was the numerous controls that can to used to can things like volume, bass, treble, and the like. generally there is a setting in each program, one in your operating system, one in your sound manager, and then the external one on your speakers. i solved this problem by turning every one of the setting to just about the maximum and then only using the external controller for day to day volume and such. this way i can choose the settings on the fly and not be concerned about whether i am getting all i can out of my system- if the knob is turned all the way to the right then i am at the “max”.

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the sound controller on the z-560s is an independent piece that can be stood upright on an included stand or laid flat. it has a power control (though the master power is on the back of the subwoofer), a bass setting, a front to rear fader, volume control, a headphone jack, and the “m3d” button which controls the three dimension sound setting. this setting was not really defined by the manual but it seems to enhance the output of certain sounds from the specific speaker in which they were programmed to come from. for example in max payne 2 when a door is closed behind you the sound only comes from the rear speakers- this is not only because the 3d setting is turned on but it does seem to help elevate sound differentiation. the controller also has led circles around the m3d button and volume knob that give it a classy look and indicated if the speakers are powered or if the m3d is on.

here are some pictures of the speakers and components:

here you can see the front on the of the speakers (all four are identical, no matter whether they are front, back, right, or left) without the guard on. in the profile shot you can see the screw-down mechanism by which the speaker wire is affixed to the speaker. the mechanism is large enough to hold out 14-guage monsterâ® cable quite securely.

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this unit is the sound controller. through it you can adjust most important aspects(see above) of the system on the fly . it comes with a stand (utilized in the picture) or can be placed flat on your desk or computer case. there is also a headphone jack so there is no need to plug in to the back of your case or install the front headphone jack in your case.

conclusion

after exhaustively testing this component system i must say that we have found a real winner. the system works very well and it can really bring out the best in a well recorded piece of music or a well designed computer game. i enjoyed listening to music and gaming more now then ever before due to my purchase of the speaker system- that is basically the best thing anyone can say about a purchase they make. the system was an excellent value and in my opinion offers almost as high sound quality as the equivalent klipsch model but dollar for dollar the promedia’s cannot compete. so if you must have the absolute best sound out there you may want to check out a set of promedia 4.2’s or 5.1’s but for the other 95% of consumers i think this set is the way to go.

i do not want to come on too strong but this is a great system, period. the only “problems” that it may have are: 1) the system is a bit bass heavy. if you are a true audiophile you may be a little bothered by the bass which can overpower the rest of the system if you do not watch out. 2) the system comes with very cheap speaker wiring. this is the standard for speakers in the price category and they work find with this thin (20 gauge) wiring but a little heavier gauge would be a nice match to the high quality of the rest of the system. (this brings up an interesting point- many computer speakers sold do not use real speaker wire but rather use preinstalled lengths that cannot be changed. the screw-down system of standard wire on higher end speakers, like the z-560’s is very much preferable).

rating: 9.5/10

note: shortly after this review was written i knew i planned on keeping this speaker system indefinitely so i bought a length of monster cable speaker cable (14-gauge) and installed in to all four speakers. the upgrade was inexpensive (under $30) and gave the system slightly cleaner sound, especially at higher volumes. i am very happy with the upgrade though the change was slight.

[first picture courtesy of logitech. we would like to thank logitech for the use of their information and photographs]